Around 1,000 Russian citizens are involved in hostilities on the side of international terrorist organizations and different armed groups in the Middle East, Afghan-Pakistani area and North Africa

Russian Federal Security Service director Alexander Bortnikov

MOSCOW, April 08. /ITAR-TASS/. Russian security services will take under control participants of combat actions in the Middle East and Afghanistan-Pakistan area of hostilities that will be coming back to the homeland, Director of the Federal Security Service Alexander Bortnikov said at a meeting of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee on Tuesday.

In his words, about one thousand Russian citizens are involved in combat actions in these regions.

As for terrorist threats, Bortnikov noted that “processes going on in the Middle East, Afghan-Pakistani area and North Africa, where around one thousand Russian citizens are undergoing combat training and are involved in hostilities on the side of international terrorist organizations and different armed groups, continue to exert a growing influence on instigating terrorism in Russia.”

“It is highly probable that after returning from foreign countries, their experience can be used by criminal ringleaders in Russia,” the FSB director noted.

“In this regard, security services and law enforcement agencies were instructed to ensure operational control over this category of citizens,” he said.

At the Tuesday meeting the National Anti-Terrorism Committee should also work out additional measures to counteract threats of terrorism coming from international terrorist organizations and people involved in them, including participants of armed conflicts in foreign countries.